Me on the Map

By: Joan Sweeney
Illustrated by:
Annette Cable
The United States is a big place which holds many children and their families. Maps and what they show are introduced by a girl who begins with a drawing of her room in her home. The house is then placed on a street, in a town, etc. until we see the U.S.

Parallel Journeys

By: Eleanor H. Ayer Helen Waterford Alfons Heck
Ayer presents two alternating perspectives of the Holocaust — one from Helen Waterford, a Jewish woman and her struggle to survive and one from Alfons Heck, a Hitler Youth whose ambition is to climb in rank.

Children of the Swastika: The Hitler Youth

By: Eileen Heyes
This nonfiction book is carefully researched and includes photos and source notes to add to its credibility. It is fascinating to see how Hitler managed to brainwash children into doing things totally contrary to their parents' values.

Hansi, The Girl Who Loved the Swastika

By: Mary Ann Hirschmann
This is the true story of a young, orphaned Czechoslovakian girl, raised in a Christian German home, who is chosen to serve in Hitler's Nazi Youth leadership. She eventually immigrates to the United States, but readers won't forget her story.

And No Birds Sang

By: Farley Mowat
Mowat retells his own experiences as a young soldier during World War II. At first he was very idealistic and romanticized the war effort but after exposure to many atrocities, Farley grows and learns painfully to see war as it is.

When the Rainbow Goddess Wept

Old sepia photograph of a family together
By: Cecilia Brainard

Nine-year-old Yvonne Macaraig's family flees their pleasant home in Ubec City to join a guerrilla movement in the jungle during the 1941 Japanese invasion of the Philippines.

Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Wartime Sarajevo

By: Zlata Filipovic

First published as Zlata's Diary in 1994, this revised version includes additional photos. When Zlata Filipovic, "the Anne Frank of Sarajevo," began her diary entries on September 2, 1991, her life was typical of most 11 year olds.

Dawn and Dusk

By: Alice Mead
Thirteen-year-old Azad knows nothing but war while growing up in a predominantly Kurdish town in Sardasht, Iran.

Under the Persimmon Tree

By: Suzanne Fisher Staples

"When her father and brother are taken by the Taliban and her mother and baby brother are killed in a bombing raid during the Afghan war in October 2001, Najmah begins an arduous journey across the border to Peshawar, Pakistan.

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